Body-shaming has always been a problem in society, online and off. The moment you gain a couple of pounds, you receive unwarranted advice from family, friends, and even strangers about how you need to lose weight. Not only that, ‘You’ve lost weight’ seems to be more of a compliment than a statement. In this day and age, when plus-sized women and men are slowly coming to the fore and achieving great heights as models, actors/actresses, and activists, being thin still remains an unrealistic beauty standard. Artist Apurva Pandey aims to change that through her illustrations called ‘She Talks Buxom’.
“Let me put it this way — one knows best from one’s own experience. When I was in school, I weighed 85 kgs. I was bullied constantly, which was a lot for a 13-year old to go through. Once I eventually moved out of Mumbai, lost weight and returned, people started calling me pretty! Who gets to decide what beauty is? Am I beautiful because I’ve lost a few inches?” starts Apurva.
One of Apurva’s sketches
She goes on to say, “There are lots of people who have been body-shamed and their mental well-being is affected. I have always been fond of creating art and I thought nothing would be better than spreading the word about the issue through my illustrations. That’s how ‘She Talks Buxom’ was born.”
Apurva tells us that she believes that body image not only harms one’s self esteem but also perpetuates the notion that one's self worth is based on appearance, “This is why the body positivity movement is so crucial. Body positivity celebrates all body types, body sizes, and body shapes — even those that are not traditionally portrayed as beautiful in media or by society.”
She states, “Of course, one should exercise, but not with the aim of losing weight or being skinny — but to be happier and healthier. There’s only one of you; why would you want to look like somebody else? We should remind ourselves that our bodies need to be respected and loved.”
Apurva also adds that Buxom is her style of developing voluptuous women figures who portray acceptance and enjoyment — “It is to eradicate the misconception that fat is ugly. I want to inspire women who don't think they’re cool or pretty. There is so much beauty in these women that even they are unaware of it. To me, fat is bold and beautiful!”
The artist, who is planning to start Buxom merchandise and collaborate with other artists, is also working on an album cover for a rock band and an interior designing project. She concludes by saying, “I’ve had women share their stories and tell me that they have more confidence in themselves after seeing my work. One girl told me that if someone makes remarks on her body, she shows them my page. I couldn’t ask for anything more!”
